Garret Anderson dead at 53: Cause of death revealed for Los Angeles Angels legend

Garret Anderson, the all-time hits leader for the Los Angeles Angels, died this past Thursday. Anderson was 53.

Anderson’s cause of death was revealed Wednesday by TMZ Sports. Anderson reportedly passed away due to acute necrotizing pancreatitis. According to Cleveland Clinic, the most common cause of pancreatitis is gallstone disease. Alcohol use is the second leading factor.

Anderson died following a tragic medical emergency at his home in Newport Beach, Calif. Anderson’s wife, Teresa, told ESPN‘s Michael Eaves that he died of a heart attack.

Garret Anderson retired as one of the best Angels of all-time

Anderson played 17 years in MLB, the first 15 coming with the Angels before closing out his career with one-year stints with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 and 2010, respectively. For his career, Anderson accumulated 2,529 hits, 287 home runs, 1,385 RBIs, and a .293 batting average. He still holds the Angels franchise record for at-bats (7,989), total bases, (3,743), hits (2,368), career games played (2,013), RBIs (1,292), singles (1,572), runs scored (1,024), extra base hits (796), doubles (489), grand slams (8), and home runs by a left-handed hitter (272).

Anderson retired following the 2010 season. He then rejoined the Angels as a pregame and postgame analyst for FOX Sports West alongside former teammate Tim Salmon. Anderson was later inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2016.

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship.

“Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels are honoring Anderson with a memorial “GA” patch on their jerseys for the remainder of the 2026 season. Anderson is survived by his longtime wife, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret “Trey” Anderson III.

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this report.